Opening device for closed or sealed tins and containers



July 31, 1923. 1,463,443

W-.-SELBY-FAYER$ ET AL OPENING DEVICE FOR CLOSED OR SEALED TINS AND CONTAINERS Filed Dec. 28 1921 Patented July El, I923.

entree "rates WILLIAM sELBY-rAYEn-s Ann ERNEST BA'ZEP. GATES, or SURREY, 'nncizann, nssrenons To THE wns'r sunnnr CENTBfltL DAIRY COMPANY, LIMITED, or

GUILDFORD, ENGLAND.

OPENING DEVICE FOR CLOSED OR SEALED TENS AND CONTAINERS.

Application filed December 28, 1921. Serial No. 525,364.

To all whom it may] concern FAYnRs and ERNnsT BAYER GATES, subjects of the King of England, both residing in Surrey, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Opening Devices, for Closed or Sealed Tins and Con- V tainers, of which the following is a specifi cation.

This invention relates to opening devices for closed or sealed tins and containers. An opening device according to the present invention comprises in combination a cutting wire to extend through a sealed or did) of the container, a body (such as a metal body) secured to or formed on that other hole in a wall (such as an end wall'or part of the wire which is to be within the container, said body being greater in at least one ofits dimensions measured transversely to the axis of the wire than the width of the hole aforesaid or of the cut to be made by the wire, and means (for example, a ringv or other handle) at the outer end of the wire to permit of the device as a whole being drawn bodily by hand to effect the cutting operation.

The wire aforesaid is of such strength and material as to be capable of cutting through the material of the container and conveniently it may be passed through the hole in the container during the manufacture of the latter. In the case of tins which are to be kept air-tight the hole is sealed around the wire conveniently by soldering. i In the preferred construction of opening device made according to the invention the.

body aforesaid, which is attached to that 40 part of the wire which is to be within the container is characterizedin'this that from the place on the wire at which the bodyzand wire are attached to one another the said body is extended both upwardly (that. is towards that end of the wire which is, to be outside the container). and outwardly; By this upward and outward extension the upper end of the body and the wire within the container are remote, from one another and there is a substantial clearance between the cutting portion of the wire and the uppermost orioutermost portion of the body. I The provision of this clearance is important.

, A body in the form of a cup into the icon 'formed by a cavity of which the inner end of thewire Be it known that we, WILLIAM Sunny-V extends and is attached in the middle of said concavity to the cup fulfils the above-men- I tioned requirements as to clearance.

The present invention also includes the combination with a canupon which is an outer readily-removable lid (such as a leverlid) and in which there is an inner lid sealed in the can below the outerlid, ofan opening device as above described whereof the wire extends through a hole in the inner lid and the means aforesaid (suchas a ringshaped handle) at the outer end of the "wire together with that part of the wire which is ntside the inner'lid are contained wholly between the outer and inner lids aforesaid i Some preferred forms of the :invention vw ll nowbe-described by way ofexample .w th reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1. is an elev'ation to an enlargedd fferent elements of the scale showing the opening device; 7

Figure 2 is asimilar view fications in certaindetails;

Figure 3 illustrates the combination of the opening device with a particular type of container; and V Figure 4 is a perspective view showing the cutting action of the device. Like reference numerals indicate like parts throughout the figures of the drawings .1

In Figure 1 a metal cutting wire 10 has attached at itsouter, end a ring-shaped hane dle 11 and extends towardsits inner end through an aperture-.12 in a soft metal lid 13 of a container. The inner end of the wire 10 extends into the concavity of a small metal cup 14 and is attached at the centre of showing modisaid concavity to the cup. The attachment I of the wre to the cup is effected bypassing the free end ofthe wire through a hole at the centre of the cup and soldering" this end as at 15 to the outside of'the cup. In the case of a wire which is of the thinness of stout thread or thin string the inventors have found in practice that a hemispherical cup. of tin about. three-eighths of an inch in internal diameter giving a clearancebetween the edge of the cup-and the wire of a little less than three-sixteenths of an inch, gives satisfactory results. f

In Figure 2 the handle portion 11 is loop in the wire itself and the body at the inner end of the wire is in the form of a diabolo 16 the wire being secured around the central neck 17 It will be seen that with this construction also the preferred conditions as to clearness between the uppermost portion of the body and the cutting part of the wire hereinbefore referred to are satisfied.

Referring to Figures 3 and 4 a can 18 is shown which is adapted'at its upper end to receive an ordinary lever lid 19. Below this lid is an inner lid 20 hermetically sealed around the cylindrical Wall of the can; Duringthe manufacture of the latter the wire 10 of the opening device to be appliedto the can is'passed' through a hole in the inner lid 2O near the margin thereof. This hole is" To effect the cutting operation the ring' 11 is gripped by the finger and the whole device is drawn bodily round the inner lip 21 of the can. In so doing the wire cuts through the material of the inner lid 20,'

which, thereafter may readily be removed.

In Figure 4 a portion of the inner lid has been cut away at 22 in order to show more clearly the position which the Wire 10 and the body 14: take up during the cuttingop eratioii. The handle" 11 and thatpart of the wire 10 which is outside the inner lid are f adapted to lie :flat between the inner and outer lids when the latter is assembled on the can.thi s arrangement is clearly shown 'tainer which it is desired-to cut.

in FigureB. It will be seen therefore, that the provision of an opening device does not interfere in any way with the ordinary outer lever lid or the operation thereof.

Although in the preferred construction of opening device the body 14 attached to the inner end of the wire has the characteristics illustrated inthe drawings it is to be understood that it is'within the invention to attach to'or form on the inner end of the wire any body which is greater'in at least one of its dimensions measured transversely to the axis of the wire,than the width of the hole through which the wire is passed orlthe endclosure wallof the container.

What we claim as our invention and de sire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. The combinationof'a sealed can with an opening'device comprising a cutting wire extending through a hole in the can at a point near the junction of the side and end walls thereof, said hole being sealed around the wire, a body which is attached to the inner end of the wire and which is greater in' at least one of its dimensions measured transversely to the axis of the wire than the the inner lid at a point near the margin thereof, said hole being hermetically sealed around the wire, a cup-shaped body of greater cross-section than thatof the wire and of the hole aforesaid an d into the concavity of which the inner end of the wire ext-ends and is attached at the middle of said concavity to the body, and a ring-shaped handle for the purpose described at the outer end of the wire, said handle together' with that part of the wire which is outside the inner lid bein adaptedto lie flat between the inner and outer lids when the outer'lid is assembled on the,can. 3. The combination with a closed container, of an opening device therefor, (20m prising a cutting member" extending through an opening in a wallof the container. and

that of the opening aforesaid, the cutting member being movable bodily in its entirety to effect cutting. of the wall of the container. I

l. The combination with a closed container of an opening device therefor comprising a wire having one end thereof extended through an opening in one wall of the container, a body secured to the end of the wire within said container, and means 'secured to the opposite endof the wire where by the device may be drawn in its'entirety' to effect cutting of the container wall,

. 5. The combination with a closed container having a scalable openingin'one wall thereof, of an opening device'for said con:

tainer comprising a wire extending through the scalable opening, 'a body secured to; the end of said wire within the container," and means secured to the oppositeend of said wire whereby the device may be'drawn in its entirety to effect cutting of thewal-l of the container. V a

6. The coinbination'witha closed container. of an opening device comprising a wire extending through an opening in a wall of the container, a-body secured to the wire within the container, said body being freeof said container and greater in at least one'of its dimensions measured transversely of the axis of the wire than the width of the before mentioned opening, and means on the outer end of the wire whereby the wire and body may be drawn bodily to effect a cutting operation.

7. The combination with a closed container of an opening device comprising a cutting wire extending through an opening in one wall of the container, a body attached to that end of the wire which is within the container, said body being free of said container and of greater dimensions than the width of the before mentioned opening and the cut to be made by said wire and extending outwardly on each side of the wire from the point of attachment of the wire, and means at the other end of the wire whereby the wire and body as a whole may be drawn bodily to effect cutting of the wall of the container. r

8. The combination with a closed container of an opening device comprising a cutting wire extending throughan opening in one wall ofthe container, the wire on op posite sides of said opening being free of the container, a cup-shaped body of greater cross section than that of the wire and the before mentioned opening secured to said wire, the inner end of said wire extending into the concavity of said body, and means at the outer end of the wire whereby the device as an entirety may .be drawn bodily to efl'ect the cutting operation. 1

9. The combination with a cam having an outer removable lid and an inner lid sealed in the can below the outer lid, said inner lid being provided with an opening, of

a wire extending through the before men-- tioned opening, said opening being sealed around the w1re, the wlre on opposite sides of sand opening belng free of the contalner,

a body attached to the inner end of the wire,

said body being greater in atleast one of its dimensions measured transversely tothe axis of thewire than the width of the before mentioned opening, and means secured to the outer end of the Wire whereby the body and wire may be drawn bodily to effect the cutting of the inner lid, said means to gether with the wire outside the inner lid being contained between the inner and outer I 

